Process control systems, like those used in chemical, petroleum or other processes, typically include one or more centralized process controllers communicatively coupled to at least one host or operator workstation and to one or more field devices via analog, digital or combined analog/digital buses. The field devices, which may be, for example, valves, valve positioners, switches and transmitters (e.g., temperature, pressure and flow rate sensors), perform functions within the process such as opening or closing valves and measuring process parameters. The process controller receives signals indicative of process measurements made by the field devices and/or other information pertaining to the field devices, uses this information to implement a control routine and then generates control signals that are sent over the buses or other communication lines to the field devices to control the operation of the process. Information from the field devices and the controllers may be made available to one or more applications executed by the operator workstation to enable an operator to perform desired functions with respect to the process, such as viewing the current state of the process, modifying the operation of the process, etc.
Many process control systems also include one or more application stations. Typically, these application stations are implemented using a personal computer, workstation, or the like that is communicatively coupled to the controllers, operator workstations, and other systems within the process control system via a local area network (LAN). Each application station may execute one or more software applications that perform campaign management functions, maintenance management functions, virtual control functions, diagnostic functions, real-time monitoring functions, safety-related functions, configuration functions, etc. within the process control system.
Some process control systems or portions thereof may present significant safety risks. For example, chemical processing plants, power plants, etc. may implement critical processes that, if not properly controlled and/or shut down rapidly using a predetermined shut down sequence, could result in significant damage to people, the environment, and/or equipment. To address the safety risks associated with process control systems having such critical processes, many process control system providers offer products compliant with safety-related standards such as, for example, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61508 standard and the IEC 61511 standard.
In general, process control systems that are compliant with one or more known safety-related standards are implemented using a safety instrumented system architecture in which the controllers and field devices associated with the basic process control system, which is responsible for the continuous control of the overall process, are physically and logically separate from special purpose field devices and other special purpose control elements associated with the safety instrumented system, which is responsible for the performance of safety instrumented functions to ensure the safe shutdown of the process in response to control conditions that present a significant safety risk. In particular, compliance with many known safety-related standards requires a basic process control system to be supplemented with special purpose control elements such as logic solvers, safety certified field devices (e.g., sensors, final control elements such as, for example, pneumatically actuated valves), and safety certified software or code (e.g., certified applications, function modules, function blocks, etc.)
One particularly important aspect of safety instrumented process control systems involves the integrity of information or data communicated among the process control devices (e.g., controllers, logic solvers, workstations, etc.) within the systems. Specifically, any failed or corrupt messages (and data write operations associated therewith) such as commands containing safety-related information and/or other data transmitted to a controller, user requested parameter value changes associated with safety instrumented functions, etc. can potentially compromise the safety of the entire process control system. While known safety-related hardware and/or software used with process control systems often provides redundant communication links, data error checking mechanisms such as known cyclical redundancy checks, etc., many known process control systems do not adequately address the problems associated with failed or corrupt messages or data write operations.
In addition to safety-related data transmission apparatus and methods (e.g., redundancy links, cyclical redundancy checks, etc.), many known process control systems also provide at least one graphical run-time interface that allows a user or other system operator to monitor processes, change parameter values, issue commands, etc. to one or more devices, control loops, and/or other process control entities. Further, these known process control systems may also provide graphical configuration and/or diagnostic interfaces that enable a user or operator to define and configure various aspects of the run-time graphical interface, to debug or diagnose various problems associated with the operation of the process control system, etc. For example, users may interact with a configuration graphical interface to associate certain dialogs, encoded scripts (i.e., machine readable and/or executable encoding), with graphical run-time objects (e.g., function modules, equipment graphics, parameter values, etc.) In this manner, during run-time, a user may invoke such previously configured graphical objects (e.g., by using a mouse or other pointing device to select the objects) to cause execution of the underlying scripts or code. However, creation of such graphical objects, dialogs, and executable scripts is a time consuming and tedious process, particularly for process control systems having a large number of safety-related process control components, sub-systems, devices, etc. Further, making changes to the graphical dialogs and scripts once created is also a time consuming and error prone process. Dialog and script errors are particularly problematic in the case of safety instrumented functions that must be implemented in a consistent manner so that, for example, the underlying scripts, code, etc. perform data write operations in a manner that complies with a safety certified procedure, standard, or the like.